Wimaladasa sweated it out through thick and thin By Aubrey Kuruppu
Walking around the ample, spacious premises at the Sugathadasa stadium last weekend; I encountered a dark, balding person whose face looked positively familiar. On closer scrutiny, and after double checking I found to my astonishment that he was one of Sri Lanka's best-ever sprinters, a national champion many times over, and an athlete who had represented his country with great distinction on many a foreign track.
Having displayed his sprinting prowess in full measure at Alawwa Central, Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa (for that is the great man's name) duly found employment in the Sri Lanka Army. National champion in the 100 and 200 metres in 1964 and 1965, Wimaladasa was selected for the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. Injured prior to departure, he had a recurrence of the injury during his race and pulled out. He missed the whole of the 1967 season due to this injury.
Words of wisdom spoken to him by sporting Doctors H.S.R Gunawardena and Brigadier Thurairajah made Wimaladasa change to the 400 metres in 1968. His success was immediate, as he lowered the record (49.8) held by Lakshman de Alwis and Darrel Lieverz. The time he returned was 48.7. He improved on this marginally at the Singapore Nationals, striking out for the Gold medal in 48.6. However he recorded his best timing of 47.4 at the Thai Nationals not long after.
A Silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok is a much cherished prize. He was also part of the quartette in the longer relay: the others being Derwin Perera, Bandula Jayasinghe, Sunil Jayaweera (and his brother-in-law) Prasad Perera. Wimaladasa returned a time of 46.7 secs. for his Silver, while Japan's Yesihari Tomonogo won the Gold in 46.6 secs.
Some much needed training was provided to him, courtesy a nine-month programme in Leipzig, Germany. While there, he ran in six international meets, winning the 400 metres event in five of them, with a time of 46.6 secs. Prior to the 1972 Munich Olympics, Wimaladasa underwent further training. This time it was for six months at Cologne. He had to run in all three sprint events and returned good times in the 100 (10.3, 10.4), the 200 (21.3, 21.4) and the 400 (46.41).
The high-point, the crowning moment of his career came in the 1974 Asian Games at Teheran where he beat Iran's Reza Entazari to win Gold in the 400 metres, clocking 46.21 secs, a new Asian Games record. Another Gold medal, another Asian Games record followed a day or two later when A. Premachandra, Kosala Sahabandu, Sunil Gunawardena and Wimaladasa scorched their way to the tape in 3 mts. 7.09 secs in the longer relay.
The Montreal Olympics beckoned in 1976 and, with the boycott by some countries, his chances of a medal were not all that remote. Long distance runner S.L.B. Rosa and Wimaladasa were duly selected but unfortunately they were not sent because of the critical foreign exchange situation. This was the last straw for Wimaladasa, the one that broke the camel's back. Disappointed, dejected and utterly frustrated, Wimaladasa threw in the towel. He retired at the peak of his powers with at least two good years still left in him.
Wimaladasa, a Lance Corporal in the Gemunu Watch Regiment, was promoted to the Rank of Class I Warrant Officer after his double Gold medal performance in 1974. Subsequently, he successfully completed his army exams and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Wimaladasa has gone back to his roots, as it were, and spends his retirement in Alawwa. He remembers with gratitude the efforts of Brig. Halangoda and the late Colonel Willie Balthazar to convert him from an athlete of promise to an internationally successful one. Sharing his thoughts on the current athletics scene, Wimaladasa who was the Deputy Manager of the Sri Lankan team at last week's Asian Athletic Championships, is sad about the indiscipline of some present-day athletes. "They should set an example to the young ones who will follow in their footsteps," he says.
Wimaladasa is sceptical about the proliferation of coaches. "Everyone cannot be a Coach". He feels that factionalism among officials is holding back the development of the sport.
Like Cincinnatus of old (in Roman history), Wickremasinghe Wimaladasa has gone back to Alawwa to spend his retirement. He belonged to an age where athletes had to really sweat it out, endure through thick and thin, for little or no reward. A far cry from the lavish rewards heaped on today's champion athletes. Would that there be a few more Wimaladasas!!